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A busy year

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A busy year

Projects, initiatives, collaborations

Jeffrey Paller
Dec 28, 2022
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Share this post

A busy year

thisweekinafrica.substack.com

Dear friends of This Week in Africa,

It has been nearly a year since my family and I sold our Prius, put a few invaluable items in storage, and moved to Sweden. It has taken a while, but we are finally settling into our cozy new life. Friends and colleagues at The Nordic Africa Institute, Forum for Africa Studies, Uppsala University’s Department of Government, and the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study have welcomed me with open arms.

I am especially lucky to be working with the Governance and Local Development Institute (GLD), which has proven to be the perfect intellectual home.

Twitter avatar for @JWPaller
Jeffrey Paller @JWPaller
Joining GLD, by @JWPaller
thisweekinafrica.substack.comJoining GLDUnderstanding the local factors driving governance and development
12:11 PM ∙ Feb 8, 2022
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Here are a few of the exciting initiatives from the past year, and a glimpse into what we have in store for 2023.

1.     GLD Policy Briefs

We published several briefs that outline the policy implications of our research. These include “Where mosques can help women solve community problems” and “How civilians can make rebels more responsive.” We also wrote briefs on policy roundtables about “Local governance in Afghanistan: Six months after the Taliban takeover” and “The future of local governance and development in Tunisia.”

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Jeffrey Paller @JWPaller
Policymakers are struggling to deliver much needed support to Afghans facing a dire humanitarian crisis. 24.4 million people need humanitarian assistance, and half are women and girls. en.unesco.org/news/244-milli….
en.unesco.org24.4 million people need humanitarian assistance now Afghanistan. Half are women & girls – this is a story of struggle and defiance
10:17 AM ∙ Apr 21, 2022
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One of my favorite briefs was Nicole Beardsworth and Matthias Krönke’s “Party Cadres Threaten Peaceful Elections and Everyday Life in Urban Africa,” which draws on a panel survey before and after Zambia’s 2021 election. The study found that party cadres, or groups of young people who operate in the public sphere and use violence and coercion to collect fees at markets and bus stations, contributed to a climate of fear in Zambians’ lives during the electoral period.

2.     Climate Change in the MENA

In partnership with Alternative Policy Solutions (APS) at the American University of Cairo, GLD hosted three roundtables about climate change in the Middle East and North Africa. We summarized the discussions in the following policy briefs:

·      Agriculture and local adaptation to climate change in the MENA

·      Confronting global and regional inequalities to achieve equity and climate justice

·      The world’s most water stressed region requires cooperation and diplomacy

Twitter avatar for @GLD_Gothenburg
GLD @GLD_Gothenburg
"The World's Most Water-Stressed Region Requires Cooperation and Diplomacy" is the title of GLD's latest #policy brief, produced in collab with @aps_auc. It targets the urgent matter of land degradation and water scarcity in the #MENA. gld.gu.se/media/2855/gld…
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9:13 AM ∙ Dec 15, 2022
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GLD_MENA @gld_mena
ما هو تداعيات التغيرات المناخية على المجتمعات المحلية في الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا؟ وكيف يمكننا فهم قضايا العدالة المناخية في المنطقة؟ نظمنا سلسلة جلسات حوارية للإجابة عن هذه التساؤلات. تابعوا تسجيلات الجلسات الحوارية على يوتيوب. #COP27 #مؤتمر_المناخ
youtu.beGLD Policy Roundtable: Climate Justice and Equity in the MENATogether with Alternative Policy Solutions (APS), GLD is hosting a special roundtable series during the summer and autumn of 2022 on climate change and envir...
6:06 PM ∙ Nov 13, 2022
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These briefs center local context, regional and global inequalities, and politics in the fight against climate change.

3.     GLD Annual Conference

The GLD Annual Conference is the best – and most fun – conference I have ever attended. This year’s conference “Giving and Taking: Studies on Extraction and Participation in Local Development” took place in May in Brastad, Sweden.

Twitter avatar for @GLD_Gothenburg
GLD @GLD_Gothenburg
The GLD team caught on camera!! Final night of our Annual Conference and we’re still friends - thanks to all who attended!
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5:41 PM ∙ May 25, 2022
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We heard many great research presentations, as well as discussed how our scholarship can help advance social welfare across the globe. We focused on improving citizen participation, building social contracts, holding leaders accountable, and engaging with policymakers and local communities.

Twitter avatar for @AnaVargasFalla
Ana Maria Vargas Falla @AnaVargasFalla
@EllenMLust opening @GLD_Gothenburg 5th conference “Giving and Taking: Studies on Extraction and Participation in Local Governance”, more than 50 scholars discussing for 3 days links between development and local democracy! @ICLD_Sweden
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7:04 AM ∙ May 23, 2022
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We summarize the key findings in “Bridging the research-policy divide to promote local development.” We hope to see many of you at future GLD conferences!

Twitter avatar for @GLD_Gothenburg
GLD @GLD_Gothenburg
Bridging the Research-Policy Divide to Promote Local Development? Latest GLD Policy Brief summarises key takeaways from discussions held at our Annual Conference. With Ahmed Morsy, @joeasunka, @AnaVargasFalla, @bonidulani, Marja Hinfelaar 👉 gld.gu.se/media/2708/gld…
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8:00 AM ∙ Jul 6, 2022
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4.     GLD Working Paper Series

I’ve really enjoyed reading new research on local governance and development. We’ve published several excellent studies as part of our Working Paper Series. Salih Yasun’s “The Municipal Finances and Challenges of Municipal Taxation in Post-Revolutionary Tunisia” examines the factors that explain the deficiencies in local taxation income in developing countries undertaking decentralization reforms.

Twitter avatar for @GLD_Gothenburg
GLD @GLD_Gothenburg
New GLD #WorkingPaper by @SalihYasun➡️Salih identifies that municipalities formed in post-revolutionary #Tunisia have lower per capita taxation income than those that existed before the revolution. Why is that? Access the full paper below🔗 gld.gu.se/media/2853/gld…
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9:16 AM ∙ Dec 19, 2022
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Rachael McLellan draws on evidence from Tanzania in her paper “Local Control: How Opposition Support Constrains Autocrats.”

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Rachael McLellan @RachaelMcLellan
I make a similar argument in another new paper out this month as part of @GLD_Gothenburg series. In this paper, I show that local control, which party wins local government elections, determines how able the regime is to punish opposition communities
Twitter avatar for @GLD_Gothenburg
GLD @GLD_Gothenburg
The latest GLD working paper is by @RachaelMcLellan (@UofGlasgow) and targets how opposition support constraints #electoral #autocrats, using administrative and electoral data, interviews, and a survey in #Tanzania. 📖👇 https://t.co/VslwvKm8Jo https://t.co/VGlqdpLHgT
3:16 PM ∙ Aug 30, 2022
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Paige Bollen provides evidence from a casual contact survey experiment in Accra, Ghana in her paper “The (Spatial) Ties that Bind: Frequent Casual Contact, the Shadow of the Future, and Prosociality Across Ethnic Divisions.”

Twitter avatar for @GLD_Gothenburg
GLD @GLD_Gothenburg
What can spur #prosocial behavior across ethnic divisions? In the 58th GLD #WorkingPaper, @paigebollen from @MITPoliSci, uses a survey experiment in #Accra to show the capacity of casual contact in inter-ethnic relations. Read it here 👉 gld.gu.se/media/2712/wp-…
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7:43 AM ∙ Jul 14, 2022
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Kristen Kao and Ellen Lust examine executing surveys in their paper “Do List Experiments Run as Expected? Examining Implementation Failure in Kenya, Zambia, and Malawi.” Finally, George Bob-Milliar and I interrogate election campaigns in “The social embeddedness of elections: Ghana’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns.”

Twitter avatar for @GLD_Gothenburg
GLD @GLD_Gothenburg
Latest Working Paper! "The Social Embeddedness of Elections: #Ghana’s 2016 and 2020 Campaigns" by @JWPaller & George M. Bob-Milliar. Exploring the social and institutional dynamics of #electoral #mobilization. Read it here: gld.gu.se/media/2826/gld…
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8:43 AM ∙ Nov 7, 2022
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We are always seeking new contributions to the study of local governance and development. See our open call for papers!

5.     Political transformation in African cities

I am learning so much working with Kristian Hoelscher (PI), Taibat Lawanson, Sean Fox, Melanie Phillips, and Nicholas Dorward as part of the Political Transformation in African Cities (PACE) project funded by the Research Council of Norway. I returned to Ghana to study how residents claim the city and the pathways to sustainable governance in African neighborhoods. We are comparing low-income, middle-income, and high-income neighborhoods in Accra and Lagos to better understand state-society relations. Our team is also building the African Cities Dataset to provide useful data for the comparison of African cities. We have many papers in progress. To get a sneak peak, check out Nicholas Dorward and Sean Fox’s recent article in Political Geography “Population pressure, political institutions, and protests: A multilevel analysis of protest events in African cities.”

Twitter avatar for @DrSeanFox
Sean Fox @DrSeanFox
New paper out now: "Population pressure, political institutions & protests" in African cities, led by my colleague @HNickdorward in which we examine the determinants of protest frequency in #African #cities. sciencedirect.com/science/articl… Brief thread on why it's interesting (1/3)
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2:28 PM ∙ Sep 30, 2022
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6.     CFP: Special issue on Political Change in African Cities

As part of the PACE project, Kristian Hoelscher, Taibat Lawanson, and I are editing a special issue on “Political Change in African Cities: Mobilization, Participation, and State-Society Relations.” See our CFP. The issue will assess how urban growth shapes political change, and identify the conditions in African cities that affect broader socio-political transformation. It takes a place-based approach and theorizes how the underlying structural, historical, and spatial contexts associated with urbanization condition the nature, sequencing and dynamics of political change. If you are interested in contributing to the Special Issue, please submit an abstract to Jeffrey Paller (jeffrey.paller@gu.se) by March 31, 2023. We then aim to have a remote workshop in early Fall 2023, and submit full papers to a leading comparative politics or African politics journal by November 30, 2023.

7.     Urban Africa Book Series

Jennifer Robinson and I are editing the new UCL Press and International Africa Institute Urban Africa Book Series. We welcome proposals that provide critical, in-depth analysis of key contemporary issues affecting urban environments across the continent. We hope to publish books by emerging and leading scholars in African urban studies, and will do so Open Access. We have a remarkable group of editorial board members, and have some great titles on the way. Reach out with any questions—and submit proposals! Check out the call here. To request the formal proposal submission form, please write to Stephanie Kitchen, Managing Editor, International African Institute at sk111@soas.ac.uk.

8.     Global urban politics workshops

One of the most exciting fields of study in the social sciences is global urban politics. The field includes scholars working at the intersection of comparative politics, urban planning, and sociology. A few workshops this year highlighted emerging scholarship in the field. At APSA, the Comparative Urban Related Group hosted the short course “Political Mobilization in 21st Century Cities: Resistance, Reform, Renewal.” Stay tuned for information regarding next year’s APSA short course, which Emily Rains is organizing.

Twitter avatar for @JWPaller
Jeffrey Paller @JWPaller
Join Comparative Urban Politics at APSA this year for our pre-meeting short course "Political Mobilization in 21st Century Cities: Resistance, Reform, Renewal." Submit to present by April 15 here: forms.gle/iafP8Tzqp6u9Zh….
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7:53 AM ∙ Mar 18, 2022
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We also launched the Urban Politics in the Global South remote workshop, which brings together scholars and practitioners working on comparative urban politics and development. It combined a plenary panel, paper discussions, and lightning talks. Our steering committee includes Adam Auerbach, Veronica Herrera, Tanu Kumar, Eleonora Pasotti, Alison Post, and myself. Adam and Veronica will be co-organizing next year’s fall workshop, so reach out to them if you have any questions.

Twitter avatar for @gmsberkeley
Global Metropolitan Studies, UC Berkeley @gmsberkeley
Excited to announce our October 2022 workshop 'Urban Politics in the Global South' (co-sponsored with @APSAtweets)! We hope you will join us and the growing community of political scientists conducting research in this space. RSVP at the event site:
globalsouthurbanpols.comHomeWe are pleased to announce a first, online workshop designed to bring together the growing community of political scientists conducting research on urban politics in the Global South. This workshop, sponsored by the APSA Urban and Local Politics section and the Global Metropolitan Studies program
6:03 PM ∙ Sep 27, 2022
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9.     The Dignity Initiative

I’ve enjoyed learning more about ID Insight’s Dignity Initiative, which aims to uphold people’s dignity in global development. Director Tom Wein is enthusiastically leading the charge and publishing excellent papers and reports on operationalizing dignity in humanitarian aid, dignity and cash, measuring ‘felt respect’, and cultures of dignity. I chaired the panel “Bureaucracy for humans: how states can see the whole person” at this year’s Dignity Symposium, which included excellent contributions from Ashu Handa, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, Hitesh Kukreja, and Evan Lieberman. Check out all that the team is up to with the Dignity Report 2022. I look forward to getting more involved in 2023!

Twitter avatar for @tom_wein
Tom Wein @tom_wein
The Dignity Report 2022 is now out. Read how in 2022 we gathered allies and built tools. And what we see coming in 2023, our year of solutions. idinsight.org/publication/th…
The cover of 'The Dignity Report 2022: Gathering Allies Worldwide' features three young women laughing and hugging on a blue filter, with animated yellow lines communicating their excitement.
11:39 AM ∙ Dec 8, 2022
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10.  Political Change and Local Governance in Emerging Cities

Good news! The Swedish Research Council funded our project Political Change and Local Governance in Emerging Cities. I am very excited to work with Ellen Lust, Alison Post, George Bob-Milliar, and Intissar Kherigi over the next four years.

Twitter avatar for @JWPaller
Jeffrey Paller @JWPaller
Happy holidays from @GLD_Gothenburg! Lots of excitement, including my good news about a project on political change and local governance in emerging cities.
mailchi.mpThe Lastest News from GLD
7:51 AM ∙ Dec 5, 2022
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Here is a brief overview of the project:

Megacities draw attention as the world rapidly urbanizes, but most people live in smaller urban centers. Within these cities, there are sites of intense conflict, but also examples of successful governance and equitable development. What explains these differences? Emerging Cities develops a collaborative research environment to explain four outcomes: inclusive decision-making, avenues of urban claim-making, peaceful co-existence between host populations and migrants, and equitable development. The overarching project goals are to implement the Local Governance Process Indicators (LGPI) in three secondary cities in Brazil, Ghana, and Tunisia; develop theoretical insights into governance and development; and disseminate findings to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.

Somewhere alongside all of this, the Swedish Collegium has given me the space to work on my book manuscript The contentious politics of African urbanization. What fun it has been. Thanks to all of my partners and collaborators. Oh, and my partner and I welcomed another baby girl to the world on December 24. I will be taking some time off to be with her—the joys of living in a country that takes parental leave seriously. To a very happy 2023!!

Jeff

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A busy year

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